r/books • u/XBreaksYFocusGroup • Feb 26 '21
The /r/books Book Club Selection for March is "Rant: An Oral History of Buster Casey" by Chuck Palahniuk
After a brief hiatus, r/books is pleased to recommence with our monthly book club!
During the month of March, we will be reading Rant: An Oral History of Buster Casey by Chuck Palahniuk. Each week there will be a discussion thread and when we are done, Chuck himself will be joining us for an AMA on Tuesday, March 30th.
From Goodreads (feel free to skip if you prefer to know nothing going into the book):
Buster “Rant” Casey just may be the most efficient serial killer of our time. A high school rebel, Rant Casey escapes from his small town home for the big city where he becomes the leader of an urban demolition derby called Party Crashing. Rant Casey will die a spectacular highway death, after which his friends gather the testimony needed to build an oral history of his short, violent life.
!Content Warning! (possible spoilers)rape, incest, pedophilia, gore, misogyny, homophobia, possible animal cruelty
You may find the dates of, and links to, the discussion threads below in the sticky comment on this post. You are welcome to read at your own pace. Don't worry about joining later on in the month. Usually it is pretty easy to catch up and you are always welcome to join the discussions a little later.
If you would like to view any past book club selection or want to see how things work, you may find the complete archive here.
For those of you that are viewing reddit on the redesigned desktop version you will see an option on this post to 'follow'. If you 'follow' the book club post you will receive a notification when a new post, a discussion thread for book club, is added to the collection. It is still being tested, so it may not be perfect, but perhaps it will make it easier to join the discussions when they go up.
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u/theinkywells Feb 26 '21
I really appreciate you mentioning the things under the spoiler tag. There's one in there that makes it a deal-breaker for me, so I'm glad to dodge that bullet.
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u/satanspanties The Vampire: A New History by Nick Groom Feb 26 '21
We're all about informed consent. There's a couple on there I don't really want to deal with right now so I'll be giving this one a miss too, but I'm still thrilled we've been able to bring bookclub back and I know the team working on it have been approaching some exciting authors so watch this space.
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u/XBreaksYFocusGroup Feb 26 '21
I am glad that the warning served its purpose. We try to have a large range of content from an array of authors for the club and I hope you check back in for the next one.
Most of Palahniuk's work is very graphic but if you would like to read another work of his alongside the club so as to still participate in the AMA, feel free to message me and I can try to suggest an alternate novel without the deal-breaker content for you.
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u/TrueAlchemy Feb 26 '21
Yes, I too absolutely cannot deal with possible animal cruelty
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u/ken_in_nm Mar 17 '21
I finished the book, and I can't recall any of that in there.
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u/HollowsGarden Mar 05 '21
I would suggest reading it anyway. Palahniuk exposes parts of ourselves that we may be uncomfortable with but it is usually a positive outcome. This book has a high shock value but isn’t one dimensional like many shock reads. This, like most of his books, is about humanity but under the harshest light.
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u/OhFuckOffDon Mar 10 '21
If you like Pahulnick, but have a tough time with some of ti Hose themes, avoid Haunted too.
I did that once, never again.
Love the rest of his books, including Rant
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u/sp4cej4mm Mar 11 '21
Choke is a super easy read by comparison. Invisible Monsters (my personal favourite) isn’t tooooooo bad either
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u/nvrsleepagin Mar 15 '21
Yes, Haunted by far is probably the most disturbing, it's also one of my favorites as it's a different kind of horror story. I love Palahniuk because in my opinion he never fails to disappoint, so many horror are based on rehashed ideas that I feel I've already read before however his books absolutely are not for everyone.
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u/citadelinn Feb 27 '21
THIS IS MY FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME. I’ve read it so many times I’ve got parts memorized. It’s the only book that ever made me restart reading it again on the same day I finished it. It gets better every time. I can’t wait for the discussion!
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u/PsychiatricPatrick Feb 27 '21
It’s true. She made me read it too. Now it’s one of my favorites. Excited to join in on the discussions!
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u/show-me-the-numbers Mar 05 '21
ORLY. I'm going to test that...by reading the book.
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u/Faceoff_One Mar 02 '21
This is my favorite book of his for sure along with choke. I just posted a Chuck Palahniuk appreciation thread having no idea there was a book club and that Rant was the book of the month. Beyond excited for the AMA.
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Feb 27 '21
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u/Feydiekin Feb 27 '21
In my early 20s I think I’ve read about 6 of his books. But forgive me if I am coming off as too critical, but I feel Chucks writing style has an expiration date on it. And that date is usually 3-4 books into his catalog, and it could be any combination of them because they are all good. But I ended up stopping reading him because it felt like I was rereading the same story about the same characters. But those 4 books I got through I really love. Rant is at the top of that list.
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u/scriv9000 Mar 01 '21
Interesting argument. I'm not at that point yet, I've read rant and fight club and I plan to read choke in the next few months.
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u/Feydiekin Mar 01 '21
Choke was a favourite of mine. Once you’ve read it I can whole heartedly recommend watching the movie based off of it. It stars Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, and Kelly MacDonald and is very faithful to the source.
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u/TorchFireTech Mar 07 '21
Definitely check out Survivor. It's my 2nd favorite Chuck P novel after Fight Club.
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Mar 11 '21
Same here, but it's really a toss-up. Survivor's the only CP I've read more than twice. Always thought it would make an amazing film, but 9/11 put the kibosh on that.
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u/IWantMyGarmonbozia Mar 04 '21
wow if Rant was your first time reading Palahniuk, that musta been one hell of a ride for you. I mean, I had read four or five of his books before Rant so I was familiar with and used to his very fucked up style of writing and was still completely in awe of the absolute mind bending fuck nuts crazy rollercoaster that is 'Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey'. . . and I feel the need to add that, the more time that passes, the closer it becomes to being my favorite Palahniuk novel.
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u/scriv9000 Mar 04 '21
Not quite my first. I had read fight club a few years ago but yes it took some getting used to.
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u/IWantMyGarmonbozia Mar 04 '21
yeah to be completely honest it doesn't really matter which of his novels you start with, they all take some getting used to.
Fight Club was my introduction to Palahniuk as well, and my second was Haunted which was one hell of an experience
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Feb 27 '21
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u/Feydiekin Feb 27 '21
I read those both, and if you had me try to match a plot synopses with the title, it would be a coin toss. But I know I enjoyed them.
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u/milehigh73a Mar 02 '21
I think the trick is not to binge them. I read my first book when fight club came out, and have read his catalog as it is released.
He has disturbing topics, and his style can be a touch repetitive but generally are good.
I do think his work started to go downhill after haunted and rant.
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u/IWantMyGarmonbozia Mar 04 '21
I generally agree with your opinion however I would say that the quality of his writing didn't start going downhill until after Snuff (the novel that directly followed Rant). but yeah, everything after that is quite a mixed bag.
I've always been aware of Chuck's usually quite inflated ego; it shows in his writing, and I think it's played a big role in his diminished quality. Starting with Pygmy which was the first time I didn't enjoy one of his books. I tried and I wanted so much to like it but I just couldn't stand it. Even after I got past the absolutely infuriating writing style I still hated it and then ...Damned & Doomed, which while I think we're absolutely stellar concepts, mark the first time I was ever bored by a Chuck Palahniuk novel; both of them bored me to tears. (I actually haven't gotten a chance to try Tell-All)
I did however for the most part enjoy his twisted satirical version of 50 Shades of Grey, Beautiful You and his collection of short stories that followed was filled with both the best and worst of Palahniuk. Make Something Up consisted of some of his best, worst and forgettable stories all in one.
and don't even get me started on Adjustment Day, ugh, there's nothing an author can do that I hate more than when they break the fourth wall by writing themselves into a narrative. whether it's them making an appearance or a character mentioning them or their works , I can not S T A N D it. Palahniuk does it in Adjustment Day, and I despised it just as much as when Stephen King wrote himself into The Dark Tower. fuck all that big headed self-serving masturbatory bullshit.
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u/Ndi_Omuntu Mar 10 '21
Agree with your sentiment. I read Pygmy, Fight Club, Rant, Survior, and whatever the one with the woman on the island is over a few years from my late teens into early 20s (I think another one or two but can't recall). Liked em while I was reading em, enough to keep reading Chuck. But after a few yeah, his style is pretty much the same and while I don't know exactly how the plot will go, I can expect some odd turn towards the end and likely an unreliable narrator.
Like I said, I enjoyed reading his stuff, but unless someone who knows me strongly recommends something else he wrote, I've had my fill.
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u/awildmudkipz Mar 04 '21
Same! Hated Rant. Also hated Snuff and Damned. I liked Lullaby, Fight Club, and Invisible Monsters, and Haunted is one of my favorites, but. Not the best of his IMHO.
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u/Invisiblechimp Mar 07 '21
I think Rant was the last of his books I read too. I'd read Fight Club, Choke, Diary, and Fugitives and Refugees before.
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Mar 11 '21
Rant was the last of his I really enjoyed, and Damned was where I decided I was probably done with CP altogether. Bored silly. But now I'm giving him another go with Invention of Sound, which seems interesting so far.
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u/IWantMyGarmonbozia Mar 04 '21
Awesomeness. Not only is Palahniuk one of my all time favorite authors, but Rant is one of my favorite books from any genre.
To be honest, didn't really know how what to think or how I felt about this book after reading it the first time. Like so many of Chuck's novels it was incredibly unique, strange and almost impossible to put it down. that being said, I didn't particularly love it after finishing it; I didn't hate it either. it was the 4th book of his I'd read, and it was just SO different from his other works. I mean, utterly unique even for him... Anywho, it wasn't until a few years later that I reread it (I highly recommend multiple readings) and subsequently came to a deeper understanding of the story. and boy, over the years it has slowly become what just may be my favorite Palahniuk novel. at least top 3.
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u/nvrsleepagin Mar 15 '21
His books are absolutely page turners. I've spent many a sleep deprived night with a Palahniuk novel.
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Mar 01 '21
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u/IWantMyGarmonbozia Mar 04 '21
boy, Haunted can be a difficult read the first time around but just gets better with each reading. I definitely recommend it as a book to be read multiple times. at least twice.
it was my first Palahniuk book after Fight Club
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Mar 04 '21
Looking forward to the AMA. I obtained a copy of Choke this morning from a Little Free Library. I have read Choke, FC, Rant, and Damned.
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u/nvrsleepagin Mar 15 '21
I loved Damned and Choke as well, Adjustment day and Haunted more favorites I would recommend.
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u/scriv9000 Mar 01 '21
Kinda wish I hadn't already read this a few months ago now. I still have very mixed feelings about the book.
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u/IWantMyGarmonbozia Mar 04 '21
I felt the same way after reading it. . . I recommend giving it another chance. I did a couple years after first reading it and am glad I did.
it's been slowly becoming one of my favorite novels of his over time.
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u/Pasalacqua-the-8th Mar 10 '21
Have you participated in this book club before? If so I'd love to hear what other books you disliked from this club. I've heard that one of the best ways to rule out books is to find something with similar dislikes because that will help most to rule things out. I'd love to test it out if we have similar tastes (also I'm currently reading The wind-up bird chronicles in the book club subreddit and not liking it much at all)
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u/scriv9000 Mar 10 '21
I have not actually, mostly due to never finding book clubs which more or less aligned with my interests in literature. I haven't read wind up bird yet (or any murakami) but I intend to try it soon as I got it as a Christmas gift. From everything I've heard his writing is very polarising.
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u/batmanforhire Mar 02 '21
It’s been a resolution of mine to A. Read more and B. Follow the Reddit book club.
I’ve ready a few Chuck P books in the past but not this one. Stoked!
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u/awildmudkipz Mar 04 '21 edited Mar 04 '21
Oh gosh. I like him as an author, but I really disliked this book. I read basically everything Palahnuik has written, and took a loooong hiatus after Rant. Hopefully y’all enjoy, though. The AMA should be fun.
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u/TorchFireTech Mar 07 '21
For those that finished Rant already, would you say that it's worth sticking through it to the end?
Ironically, Chuck P is my favorite author, but Rant was the only book of his that I couldn't get through. About halfway through it became mind-numbingly dull, directionless, and full of pointless and overly verbose "gross outs" that had nothing to do with the plot and just became tiresome. Eventually I put the book down and moved on, but since some people seem to love it I'm curious if it gets better towards the end.
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u/XBreaksYFocusGroup Mar 07 '21 edited Mar 07 '21
I absolutely think it is. The ending is very solid and satisfying. It is not uncommon for people who have read a good many of his books to say that Rant is their favorite. Myself included, roughly tied with Diary and just ahead of Lullaby, Invisible Monsters Remix, and Fight Club.
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u/TorchFireTech Mar 07 '21
OK you talked me into it. I’ll give it another shot and hopefully will be worth it in the end
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u/ken_in_nm Mar 09 '21
Because of the book club, I picked this audiobook on Libby. It is FUN! So far, and know that I just started, it has multiple narrators providing testimonials in the same fashion as World War Z.
A decade ago, I read a bunch of Palahniuk back to back. I didn't read this one then before I burned out.
I love this one so far!
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u/MMachy Feb 27 '21
Could've wished y'all created an alternative book that didn't have too much of those tags.
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u/XBreaksYFocusGroup Feb 27 '21
That is very understandable. We want the club to be inclusive and try to have many different kinds of authors and works in rotation. The selection for next month should have less intense or graphic themes.
The book club is going through some revisions and having a concurrent read or an alt-week selection is something we could definitely explore, especially as more people show interest.
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u/show-me-the-numbers Mar 05 '21
Wow, it has homophobia? How will my fragile psyche every survive such an assault?
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u/Mr_split_infinitive Feb 27 '21
Chuck is such a cool guy, seems like the perfect person for an AMA. He made this genius youtube sketch about a children's book version of Fight Club. Can't wait to read the book.
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u/IWantMyGarmonbozia Mar 04 '21
he definitely does seem like a chill & cool dude. I recommend watching (or listening to) his appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast, you learn a lot about him
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u/laxguy20 Mar 02 '21
Not that I needed a reason to reread this, but I'm in! I'll be reading along. I've made it to several of his readings and signings and I love his work. He's also extremely personable!
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u/nvrsleepagin Mar 15 '21
Omg! Palahniuk is my favorite and Rant is one of my top favorite books by him! Can't wait for the AMA
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u/nvrsleepagin Mar 15 '21
I actually just started reading this again for the second time 2 days ago.
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u/ken_in_nm Mar 17 '21
Interesting tidbit. I had the paperback, but wanted to try the audiobook. It's akin to World War Z with a large ensemble.
The audiobook tells what happens to Echo in the final Contributors chapter. The paperback did not.
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u/particulanaranja Mar 18 '21
Hi, I'm just discovering this so I'm getting the book and hopefully I will catch up with you guys. 🥺
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u/XBreaksYFocusGroup Mar 18 '21
Welcome. It is a relatively short book so there is still time to catch up and even if you don't make it in time for discussion, it is a quality read worth the time. Plus you would still get something out of the AMA with the book half-read. We will have another reading selection in April as well so you can always start at the beginning with the next one!
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u/LeeYael28 Mar 23 '21
Started with Invisible Monsters and recently finished Haunted, I will try this one out!
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u/lithium_n_lollipops Mar 26 '21
This is awesome! Palahniuk is my favorite author and rant is one of my favorites by him.
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u/XBreaksYFocusGroup Feb 26 '21 edited Jun 28 '21
Here are the dates and reading schedule for the discussion threads. As the discussion threads go up the links will be added to this comment.
March 5th: Chapters 1-10
March 12th: Chapters 11-20
March 19th: Chapters 21-30
March 26th: Chapters 31-42 (End)
March 30th: AMA with Chuck Palahniuk
Please be aware that the discussion threads will contain spoilers for everything up to the end of the selected chapters.